No. 27 May 5

The University News A Student Voice of Saint Louis University Since 1921

Vol. XC No. 27

unewsonline.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The UNews sports staff takes a look at the highlights from the 2010-2011 season >>SPORTS

Billiken Athletics Recap

As a senior at Saint Louis University, Andrew Gelstein often finds himself feeling stressed and anxious after his classes. Gelstein lights up more than 15 cigarettes a day while on campus to get a sense of relief.

“It is something I started freshman year, and at first I did it socially. Then I did it because it gave me something to do, and now I smoke so that I am not stressed after class,” Gelstein said. “I wish I could quit, but no one wants to quit by themselves, and it is so easy to go outside and light up on campus.”

More than 500 colleges across the nation have committed to making smoking on campus more difficult for students like Gelstein by banning the activity completely.

Washington University in St. Louis is smoke free, the University of Missouri-Columbia has recently committed to going entirely smoke free by 2014 and other universities in the area are currently revising their smoking policies.

“It has been a long evolution. We have worked to make the campus a healthier environment, and studies have shown that a healthy work environment can lead to a

healthier work force,” Associate Director of the MU News Bureau Christian Basi said.

Currently, SLU and Webster University are the only universities in St. Louis that have not begun a revision of their current smoking policies. SLU’s current policy prohibits smoking within all non-residential, Universityowned and -leased buildings, on the Medical Center and on sidewalks within 20 feet of building entrances.

“The conversations that we have had in the past to change our policy have been primarily based on student interest from year to year,” Vice President for Facilities Management and Civic Affairs Kathleen Brady said. “I don’t know how effective a ban would be for SLU because it would be difficult to enforce.”

The SLU Medical Center is currently smoke free, and Brady said that enforcement of that policy is proving to be difficult, as cigarette butts are often found outside by the buildings.

“No student wants to walk behind someone smoking; the good thing is that I don’t see many students smoking on campus,” junior Matt Spector said. “There aren’t many ash trays on campus, and so students litter their cigarettes all over.”

Managing Editor

Shah (Yuqing Xia) / Associate Photo Editor

Freshman Olivia Hunter walks, talks and smokes during a break between classes.

The student interest to make the entire campus smoke free resides largely in Smoke Free SLU, a student group created in 2007. The goal of the group is to “make the campus healthier by eliminating or greatly reducing secondhand smoke exposure through a comprehensive smoke-free campus policy.”

President of Smoke Free SLU, Jean Puccinelli, said that more information needs to be gathered from the SLU community regarding smoking.

“The current enforcement

sity Bookstore Tricia Polley said. “Saving students money is always our goal.”

While planning for the upPolley said that the option coming semester, sophomore of renting books can save stuJoe Denk said he goes online dents more than 50 percent when purchasing his books of the cost of a newly printed for his biology major and core textbook. classes. Denk said the price Freshman Terra Kreiner, tag of these academic texts, who generally spends $400 on even with online deals, of- her textbooks each semester, ten costs him approximately said she usually goes online $1,000 per semester- a pricey to sites like Chegg.com to purchase for any college stu- purchase them because she dent. feels the texts at the UniverSaint Louis University is sity bookstore are overpriced. attempting to relieve some However, Kreiner said she of the finanmay try cial burdens the new opstudents tion to rent face when them.

The book renting syspurchasing “If the textbooks. tem will be great for bookstor e Beginning offers rentin the fall se- students, and it is nice al books at mester, the to have more options a decent University price, I will b o o k s t o r e when searching for my d e f i n i t e l y will begin books. go there at textbook because its rental op- -Joe Denk much less tion as part hassle,” of the anKreiner nual Cash for Books program. said. “I think that could be a According to the University good idea as long as they keep bookstore, the rental option the prices reasonable.” aims to offer students more The rental period begins flexibility when finding books the day the textbook is orfor their courses. dered and continues until the “It irritates me that I have last day of the finals each seto buy these books that you mester. maybe use only once,” Denk Students are encouraged said. “The book renting sys- to sell their used textbooks tem will be great for students, back to the University bookand it is nice to have more op- store so that more lowertions when searching for my priced texts can be sold the books.” following semester. Used Last fall, Barnes & Noble, books are 25 percent cheaper the owner of the University than new texts. When returnBookstore, offered a trial run ing used textbooks, students at the rental program to more must present a valid SLU ID than 300 universities across card and Banner number. Rethe country and found that gardless of where they were nearly 90 percent of students purchased, the University were satisfied with the option bookstore will accept used to rent their textbooks. texts. Students can visit slu.

“This is a very great pro- bncollege.com or mybookvalgram because it gives stu- ue.com to see if their texts are dents options when searching being used in courses at the for books on campus,” Text- University for the next semesbook Manager for the Univer- ter.

By ANDREA ROYALS

Most area schools tighten smoking rules Editor-in-Chief

Must-see Summer movies

Bookstore begins renting policy

Breaking the habit

By JONATHAN ERNST

Check out the top movies of Summer 2011 >> ARTS

plan at SLU doesn’t work, and it has been a constant struggle to get SLU to go smoke free, but it has to keep going,” Puccinelli said.

Smoke Free SLU currently has 10 members, all of which are graduating, and is looking to increase their recruitment efforts for next year. Puccinelli said that she is looking for someone to lead the group next year. The group did not file for any funding from the See “Smoking” on Page 3

“

”

Stress levels related to attitude GIC speech: More food for thought Students encouraged to talk about anxiety

By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

With finals a week away, students all over Saint Louis University’s campus are saying the same thing.

“I’m feeling stressed,” sophomore Mary Anderson said. “I haven’t really started studying.”

Michael Ross, a professor of Clinical Psychology at SLU, said stress about big events like finals is normal. The stress, however, stems not from the event itself, but from the appraisal of the event.

“The first component of a stressor is that it’s usually some change or something that’s taxing us in some way,

Kati Cundari / Associate Photo Editor

From left: Freshmen Maggie Speck-Kern, Eleanor Humphrey and Luke Ducey study for their finals.

and the second piece is how well we think we can cope with that,” Ross said, “so it is our appraisal of the stressor and our appraisal of how we can manage it.”

Ross said that often with the same event, people either accept the stress as an opportunity or allow it to make them miserable. Those who measure the stress as an approachable challenge often fair better than those who let the gravity of the situation consume them.

“With stress, there are physiological changes that occur and emotional changes.

People are more nervous, and we may shake, we may have shortness of breath, and then you have the cognitive components, which is that worry,” Ross said. “We worry about it, and think about it, and it goes over and over, which is not particularly productive unless we are coming up with plans to do something about it.”

While experiencing high levels of stress, according to Ross, resistance to the stressor actually goes up initially.

Over time, however, this resistance weakens the immune system, making the stressed individual more susceptible to illness. This is why students commonly get sick after finals—their defenses are worn out.

Meredith Obsorn, a counselor in Student Health and Counseling Services, said that the biggest side effect of stress she sees in students is a heightened level of anxiety, which can lead to panic attacks and increase drug and alcohol use.

“We did the Missouri College Health and Behavior Survey, and we had 85.3 percent of students report that stress interferes with their personal

life. That’s a high percentage,” Obsorn said. “We also had 69.7 percent report academics were the biggest source of stress. Time management was 47.2 percent, and financial concerns and social relationships were both stressors as well.”

If a student comes to Counseling services to deal with stress issues, the counselors will set up a one-on-one meeting to really get to the heart of the matter and discuss tactics for dealing with the stress.

“Stress just doesn’t go away, so we talk about ways to manage it,” Obsorn said.

“SLU students report reaching out to friends and peers when they are stressed but also to spiritual advisors and academic advisors.”

Students also cited using time management skills, smiling and laughing, taking naps, deep breathing, shopping and crying as ways they cope.

Ross also strongly advocated exercise as excellent way to cope.

“There have been several studies that shows exercise has tremendous effects on stress,” Ross said. “Just take a walk, wander around campus or get out and do something.”

Health and Counseling encourages students to seek help if the stress becomes overwhelming or if it drives them to use extreme coping measures, such as drinking heavily, drug abuse or disordered eating. When stress starts interfering with life or relationships, talking to someone is highly encouraged.

Students will continue to battle stress, but many are glad there is an end in sight.

“I’ll be glad when it’s over,” freshman Sarah Harrington said. “I’m looking forward to May 17th.”

Curtis Wang / Photographer

Writer and vegetarian convert Jonathan Safran Foer addressed the Saint Louis University Community during the last event hosted by the Great Issues Committee of the academic year. Held in the Wool Ballrooms in the Busch Student Center, Foer presented a lecture entitled “What We Are and What We Eat,” based on his non-fiction memoir “Eating Animals.” Foer’s presentation discussed the ethical decisions surrounding the consumption of animals.

South campus construction moving forward

By ANDREA ROYALS Managing Editor

Members of the Saint Louis University Health Sciences campus have been awaiting the completion of a new outdoor recreation complex and education union at the Medical Center since last year.

This summer, their anticipation will come to an end.

“We are very excited about the growth down here,” Vice President of the Health Sciences campus and Dean of the School of Medicine Philip Alderson said when the project began.

The growth, which includes a 30,000-square-foot Education Union and NCAA regulated stadium, is expected to be completed in June, University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., said in his April message.

“Right now, I have all but

one of my classes on the medical campus, so I am over there a lot,” Caitlin McCumber, a freshman in the School of Nursing, said. “Every time I see the progress that has been made on it, I get more and more excited.”

McCumber said next year all of her classes will be held on the Health Sciences campus, and it will be nice to have a designated place to do homework.

The Education Union plans include study space, a student lounge, a 225-seat computerized lecture hall, a cafe and a state-of-the-art Patient Simulation Center. Students can use one of the eight patient simulation labs to practice skills with actors as ill patients. The Education Union will also be home to the Office of InterProfessional Education, allowing students from the various colleges at the Medical Cen-

ter to combine resources and to collaborate.

“I think [the Education Union] will offer a great See “Med Campus” on Page 3

Congratulations, seniors!

Read and Recycle The University News prints on partially recycled paper.

News

2

unewsonline.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Let Us Introduce You Jonathan Jacobs

Philosophy professor contemplates time travel, lifts weights

By KRISTEN MIANO News Editor

Jonathan Jacobs understands the importance of the endurance of both mind and body. As a philosophy professor specializing in the area of metaphysics, Jacobs tosses his mind into the obstacle course of abstract thought on a daily basis. When he is not contemplating the nature of being, however, Jacobs works on his own form.

“I started weight lifting about three years ago, after I had kids,” Jacobs said.

He believes he has found the perfect combination of weight training moves: a medley of 310-pound squats below parallel, 360-pound dead lifts, overhead press, bench press, pull-ups and power cleans.

“I lift so I can be strong, which is a fairly useful thing to be in life – lifting heavy things, throwing my kids in the air or avoiding getting injured,” Jacobs said. “It’s not much, but I’m happy if I’m stronger each week than I was before.”

Jacobs said he spends as much time with his family as he can. A father of four, he spends a lot of his time playing the role of parent, taking his kids to soccer and dance recitals. In the office, however, he is a philosopher with some very unique ways of approaching the subject.

“No, I don’t think time travel is possible,” Jacobs said, “but if I were to think it was possible, it would not be like the time travel in movies.

So in ‘Back to the Future,’ he goes back, and he changes things and messes stuff up so he might not exist anymore.

That doesn’t make philosophical sense. If he messes things up so he doesn’t exist, then he wasn’t there in the first place to mess things up.”

Jacobs teaches a metaphysics course related to the philosophy of science fiction.

While the discussions in class have little real backing, Jacobs encourages his students to construct valid arguments as if they were really possible.

“There are some ways to think about time travel that make more sense than others.

THE SLU SCOOP All Information Provided by Department of Public Safety and Security Services

Monday, April 25

3:29 p.m. - PROPERTY DAMAGE A student reported that she parked her vehicle on Laclede Avenue on Saturday evening. She returned to her vehicle on Monday and noticed the door handle had been tampered with. She also noticed the glove box was open and papers scattered about the vehicle. Nothing was missing.

Thursday, April 28

4:17 a.m. - TRESSPASSING A subject found sleeping on a couch in the commuter lounge in the Busch Student Center was warned, referencing trespassing and released after a REJIS computer check revealed no active wants or warrants.

9:05 p.m. - ROBBERY 1ST A student reported he had been a victim of a robbery at gun point as he was walking on the West Pine Mall side of Ritter Hall. The officer put out a description of the suspect and a search was made to no avail.

Sunday, May 1

5:03 p.m. - BURGLARY A student reported that on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, a little before 6:00 p.m. he went to his class and when he returned around 9:00, his headphones and his computer were missing. He said, “The items were in his room when he left for class, but he left his room unlocked.”

Be a Responsible Billiken STOP. CALL. REPORT. 314-977-3000 witness.slu.edu dps.slu.edu

SGA concludes with ‘Best of’ awards

By KRISTEN MIANO Noah Berman / Photo Editor

It depends on abstract arguments and thinking about the nature of time,” Jacobs said.

“It’s the same thing with teleporting. So like with ‘Beam me up, Scottie,’ and the body disappears and reappears somewhere else. Why isn’t that killing you and just recreating someone a lot like you?

It depends on your theory of personal identity and what it takes to persist over time.”

He is also working on a course that addresses the philosophy of sports, asking questions like what makes a team a team.

Jacobs became interested in philosophy when he began contemplating important theological questions.

“I thought about the nature of God and the nature of human persons,” Jacobs said. “I was interested in the nature of God, like how can there be three divine persons but

one god. How is it that Jesus is both human and god? And that leads you to think about very abstract metaphysical thoughts, like what is the nature of being?”

As part of a grant he received, Jacobs just finished a conference on the subject of causal power. He stated he was pleased with the turn out, as there were close to 80 people at every event, some from as far away as Australia.

Jacobs’ passion for the subject really shows through his own philosophy about what makes philosophy a subject everyone can enjoy.

“Philosophy is just an unusually sustained effort to think critically,” Jacobs said.

“What’s unique about philosophers is that we do it in a sustained manner and in a much more in-depth way. But everybody thinks deeply sometime or other.”

News Editor

The Student Government Association concluded the year with their final meeting of the 2010-2011 academic year on Wednesday, May 4.

During the meeting, they began with business as usual with an old bill from last week, moved on to charter new student organizations and then presented end-of-the-year awards, both externally and internally.

The bill to amend the association’s bylaws regarding the Vice President of Diversity and Social Justice position finally came to a vote. Last week, the bill was amended so that the position’s name would stay the same. With this change, the bill passed in senate.

The next three bills were to give awards to various individuals. Only two of the recipients were present to

receive the awards, but the senate voted to give awards to Mark J. Zinn, the president of the Community Emergency Response Team, and Ted Kremer, the president of Alpha Phi Omega. The awards bills wrapped up with the awarding of the President’s Award to Vice President of Diversity and Social Justice, Oscar Vazquez.

“Oscar brings to SGA a little bit of knowledge on everything on campus, and that’s probably what makes him good at his job,” SGA President Courtney Anvender said. “He won’t be the loudest advocate, but he will always be the advocate for you in the room.”

Normal senate activities concluded with the allocation of $3,358 in spot funding to the men’s and women’s Ultimate Frisbee teams, who qualified for their regional tournament, and the chartering of two new student organizations, the Civil Engineers Club and the

Public Health Undergraduate Association, both of which recieved full support for chartering.

Once the last bill passed, SGA wrapped up the year by announcing the superlatives they had given members of their organization and the “Best of” awards. Best Freshman Senator went to First Year Senator Parry Draper; Best Sophomore Senator was Doisy College senator Kripa Sreepada; Best Junior Senator was Krishi Peddada; Best Senior Senator was Black Student Alliance senator David Rollins; Best Graduate Senator went to Antonio Garcia; and Best Committee Head was Piera Blandon.

Best Overall Senator was given to First Year Senator Joe Woster.

The meeting ended with personal comments from Anvender to each member of the association and the final session of Pass the Gavel of the year.

Now thru th May 20 ...

Get the most cash for your books at your SLU Bookstore in the BSC

facebook.com/slubookstore facebook.com/musiciansoncall Valid SLU student ID required for all buyback transactions

unewsonline.com

News

3

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Student organization promotes Halal food Smoking: Trend in bans Group’s mission to educate and inform people about options

By WOLF HOWARD Staff Writer

When schools talk about diversity, food variety is not commonly associated with the discussion. Food, however, plays a large role in many cultures, and it is something the new organization, STLHalal, hopes to bring into the spotlight.STLHalal is a not-forprofit organization founded by two Saint Louis University students, Haariss Ilyas and Riyad Haq. One mission of STLHalal is to educate Islamic people on the requirements of Halal. Their second mission is to certify restaurants have properly prepared meat and to help them to meet Halal criteria. Halal is meat that is permissible to eat under Islamic law. Meat is designated as Halal if it follows the method of slaughter set forth according to Islamic law. According to Ilyas, there is no government regulation of res-

taurants that claim to serve Halal, so there is no way for patrons to be sure they are eating legitimate Halal. STLHalal will go to restaurants in the St. Louis area and inspect their preparation procedures.

If they pass the inspection, a stamp of approval is given to the establishment to demonstrate that they are practicing Dhabiha, the designated method of slaughter according to Islamic Law. If an organization does not pass, STLHalal will help them refine their methods so they can properly prepare Halal meat. STLHalal’s website has a map of certified restaurants and vendors, along with a layout on Google Maps showing the location of each restaurant and vendor.

Washington University in St. Louis adopted a Halal line in early April, utilizing STLHalal as a consultant on the proper preparations and methods they would need to serve legitimately Halal meat in their cafeteria.

“We wanted to make sure there were choices available to all students,” Nadeem Siddiqui, the resident district manager of WashU’s dining services, said.

According to Siddiqui, the transition was not difficult at all. A line of normal protein was simply swapped out for a line of Halal protein. Furthermore, it did not detract from non-Islamic students’ eating habits either.

“For regular students, chicken is chicken; it just happens to be Halal,” Siddiqui said.

However, according to WashU’s estimates, the number of students that will be using the service is small – roughly 50 to 75 students.

“The bigger issue was an opportunity to be diverse and offer choices that are usually not offered on campus,” Siddiqui said. “It opens up better cooperation between student groups on campus.”

As a student that is familiar with restrictions on eating

choices due to his religious obligations, Ilyas realizes how greatly SLU’s campus would benefit from a Halal line. Muslims have struggled to find good dining options on campus.

“I’m eating the egg salad sandwich [at Grand Market] or the black bean burger [at Au Bon Pain],” Ilyas said, finding the options for Muslim students severely limited.

His estimates put the number of students that would utilize a Halal line at SLU at more than 200.

An attempt to establish a Halal line last academic year failed because of miscommunication between Ilyas and Chartwells. Chartwells Representative Paul Taylor said that Chartwells is “more than happy to talk to any students about options they want to see.”

Ilyas and his associates plan to meet with Taylor after finals to talk about creating a Halal service somewhere on campus.

Take Back the Night speaks out against violence

increase on campuses

campus does have an effect on us,” Opsal said.

According to the U.S. DeStudent Government Associa- partment of Health and Hution during the annual fund- man Services, secondhand ing process because of this smoke contains chemicals transition in leadership. known to be toxic or cancer“We need to get more stu- causing, and the concentradents involved and thinking tion of these chemicals are about the issue that is smok- higher in secondhand smoke ing on this campus,” Puccinel- than in smoke inhaled by li said. smokers.

In the past, Smoke Free SLU professor in the School SLU has of Public s p o k e n Health, to adminPatricia istrators, L i n d s e y, SGA and who works The way it is looking c l o s e l y University President with Smoke L a w r e n c e now, SLU will be the Free SLU, Biondi, S.J., said that about sur- last university in the smoke-free veys that city to go smoke free. campuses they collectare becomed from stuing trends dents. Ac- -Patricia Lindsey around the cording to nation for a Puccinelli, reason. the surveys “ T h i s have shown that majority of is a health issue, and I know the students and faculty were what smoking can do for your in favor of a smoke-free cam- health. One of my biggest paspus. sions is to get people to stop However, the administra- smoking,” Lindsey said. “The tion wanted the group to con- goal is to make it difficult for duct another survey and to them to smoke, and if we ban gather more information on it on campus, this will make it other colleges’ smoking poli- easier for them to eventually cies. stop smoking.”

Jared Opsal, a graduLindsey said she believes ate research assistant with that all college campuses in the TrendsSchool of Public St. Louis will be smoke free Health, works with colleges by 2012, and SLU may be the around St. Louis to help with last to switch policies. revising and improving their “The way it is looking now, smoking policies.

SLU will be the last university “I think SLU has a lot in the city to go smoke free. It to learn from these trends will be difficult to find a policy around the nation; breathing that works for SLU,” Lindsey in that secondhand smoke on said.

Continued from Page 1

“

”

Med Campus: Complex to include field and track Continued from Page 1

Kelly Hinderberger / Photographer

Junior Kayla Dougherty works on a community art piece as a part of Una’s event Take Back the Night on April 28. The event was held in an effort to raise awareness about sexual violence and included live performances, free food, presentations by several anti-violence groups and a candle-light vigil.

Congratulations Class of 2011!

Join us for your first event as young alumni of Saint Louis University!

Young Alumni Wine Tasting Wednesday, May 25 The Vino Gallery in the Central West End 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Register online: alumni.slu.edu/yawinetasting11 The first 2011 graduate to follow us on Twitter (SLUyoungalumni) will win 2 free tickets to the Wine Tasting!

place to study, hang out with friends, grab lunch or just to wait in between classes,” Caitlin Spiller, a freshman in the Doisy College of Health Sciences, said.

The outdoor recreation complex, expected to be completed around the same time as the Education Union, includes a NCAA regulated soccer field and an eight-lane track. The bleachers in the stadium are projected to hold approximately 600 spectators.

“There are a lot of universities and colleges cutting track and field programs,” Track and Field Coach Jon Bell said.

“We are one of the first in the past decade to not only add a track and field team but also to add a facility.”

As of now, the track and field athletes practice at Cardinal Ritter High School, located just north of campus.

Bell said that while Cardinal Ritter is close to campus, it has been challenging to meet

both the high school’s needs and the University’s needs when sharing a space.

“It will be nice to have our own home,” Bell said, explaining the benefits of the recreation complex. Not only will students be able to play in front of their friends and family, Bell said, but the University will also save money when hosting home meets, as travel and other accommodations will not need to be met as often.

Bell said that he expects the University to be hosting home meets within two years.

He is currently submitting bids to the University to fund the necessary equipment for home meets, and the Athletic Department may be able to afford the equipment within the next year. Equipment could cost up to $150,000 depending on the company vending the products to the University.

Even with the proper equipment, Bell said he doubts that the University will be ready to host home meets next year without recruiting officials and volunteers to work at the meets, a process he said could take up to two years. While Bell said he would like to see many of the officials and volunteers come from the immediate University family, he is also reaching out to track and field fans from the St. Louis community. Officials must be trained and certified by USA Track and Field, while volunteers can freely participate in tasks like posting scores, placing starting blocks on the track and counting laps in races.

Bell said his favorite aspect of the outdoor complex is its view of the St. Louis skyline and the Arch, and he said he will be excited to see it during the first home meet.

“The facility legitimizes everything we are doing within the Athletic Department,” Bell said. “We are thankful of Fr. Biondi and his senior staff for committing to doing this project. We are going to make sure we get our use out of it.”

The recreation complex will be open to all members of the University community, including those on the Frost campus.

However, there is concern that the recreation complex and the Education Union at the Medical Center will further the separation between the Health Sciences campus and the Frost campus.

“I am very much an advocate of the University as one large campus. I would like to have students from the north campus feeling welcome to this side of campus,” Alderson said. “We believe students will get a lot out of having a facility where they can relax and get that sense of community.”

The University News

Opinion

Talk to us: Daniela Mondragon 314.977.2812 oped.unews@gmail.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

unewsonline.com

Letters

“Freedom of the press—print, online and broadcast—is a basic right in a democratic society and is valuable in promoting the development of students as socially responsible persons ...

The University News is a student voice, not the student voice.

The views of The University News are the expressions of the students involved ... If [The University News] can represent a point of view around which discussion may develop, it serves a legitimate and needed purpose.”

From The University News’ Charter

to the editor The University News reserves the right not to publish any letters that are deemed intentionally and/or inappropriately inflammatory, more than the 300-word limit or unsigned by the original author. The following are letters and/or website comments. Because the identities of website posters cannot be verified, all website comments should be treated as anonymous. Actual letters to the editor may be submitted online at unewsonline. com or e-mailed to oped.unews@gmail.com.

Please include your daytime telephone number.

Contact us:

B*llikens for Choice’s actions were immature

Busch Student Center Suite 354 20 N. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63103 Newsroom: (314) 977-2812 unews.slu@gmail.com Advertising: (314) 977-2813 ads.unews@gmail.com unewsonline.com facebook.com/theunews twitter.com/theunews editor-in-chief Jonathan Ernst (314) 977-1590 eic.unews@gmail.com general manager JOE Mckeon ads.unews@gmail.com Managing Editor Andrea Royals unewsme@gmail.com News Editor Kristen Miano slunews@gmail.com Enterprise Editor ERIKA MILLER enterprise.unews@gmail.com op/ed editor DANIELA MONDRAGON oped.unews@gmail.com Arts editor Ashley Jones arts.unews@gmail.com Sports editor BRIAN BOYD Assoc. Sports editor DERRICK NEUNER sports.unews@gmail.com photo editor Noah Berman Assoc. PHOTO editorS SHAH (YUQING XIA) KATI CUNDARI photo.unews@gmail.com Design Director Brianna Radici design.unews@gmail.com Chief copy editor SARAH MAREK copydesk.unews@gmail.com Account executive madalyn guy ads.unews@gmail.com Account executive RACHEL CAMPBELL ads.unews@gmail.com Account executive CONNOR BERRY ads.unews@gmail.com Adviser Jason L. Young jyoung42@slu.edu The Editorial Board of The University News Recognizes Avis Meyer, Ph.D. as the newspaper’s faculty mentor.

The University News is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, the Student Press Law Center, the College Media Advisers and the Missouri College Media Association, a division of the Missouri Press Association.

-First copy, free. Each additional copy, $1.00.

Check out our blogs!

-The Conservative Billiken SLU’s conservative voice -The Progressive Billiken SLU’s liberal voice -Foreign Affairs Students studying abroad -Going into OT On and off the court - 24/7 Blogs, additional commentaries and activities such as our web poll are all available on our website: unewsonline.com.

Peony Lee / Chief Illustrator

Editorials

Editorials are opinion pieces written by the Editorial Board of The University News.

The editorials printed in this space represent the opinion of The University News.

Commentaries and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the signed authors but do not necessarily represent the opinions of The University News.

Smoke-free trend spreads nationally, nudging SLU students to make a choice What kind of air do you breathe? – More than 500 colleges and universities around the nation have given serious thought to this question, adopting a smoke-free policy for their campuses.

Washington University in St. Louis is already smoke free, and the University of Missouri-Columbia estimates it will have a smoke-free campus by 2014, leaving Webster University and Saint Louis University behind in the race for a clean campus environment. Whether SLU joins the cause or adopts its own policy for a smoke-free campus in the future is up in the air, and the decision falls upon present and future students’ shoulders to either fall behind or catch up.

Smoke Free SLU, a student group, has been pushing for a healthier campus since it began in 2007, and they have left their mark on SLU’s campus. While Smoke Free SLU has not succeeded in making SLU’s campus smoke free, they are responsible for the policy that requires all students to smoke 20 feet away from any door way.

However, because its 10 members are all currently seniors, ready to graduate, they have no one to whom to pass the torch, to whom to pass the responsibility of caring for a community that neither seems strongly opposed or strongly in favor of having a smoke-free campus.

As active members of SLU’s campus,

students must take on the responsibility to decide whether to follow the current trend or set its own smoke-free policy.

Is smoking prohibited 20 feet from a door way enough for SLU students? It is not common, but neither is it rare to inhale a whiff of smoke crossing Grand, and as is well known, second-hand smoking is a serious hazard to those who are victims of it. Students who smoke exercise their right to do so ever y time they light a cigarette and walk through campus with it in hand.

Students who do not smoke should also exercise their rights to a clean and healthy environment by voicing their opinion, whether void or valid.

Current policies should be adequately enforced and further research must be done on what SLU students want. Smoke Free SLU’s legacy should be carried on, either to implement current policies more effectively or to move for ward with a whole new set of regulations. To be apathetic to issues that affect SLU students’ daily lives is to be numb to a community that continually needs feedback.

Students should take a stance, whether for or against a restructuring of the smoking policy, for the issue is currently revolutionizing colleges and universities across the countr y. The only position SLU students should not take is that of no position at all.

Bin Laden’s symbolic death gives nation closure On Sunday, May 1, 2011, President Ba- American prominence, to re-establish our rack Obama announced to the world that dreams for the future.

Osama bin Laden was dead. The man, who Bin Laden stood for everything this counwas the face of evil for our generation, will try does not: Suppression, oppression and kill no more. While this is, rightfully, a proud reckless fear. His death is a reminder to us, time for our military and our nation, it is also the generation about to inherit the world, a moment to reflect on how, after 10 years of that we must stand united, that one should sacrifice, our lives have changed. never fear to express their opinion, their reNone of us will forget where we were that ligion, their gender or their humanity. With September day; no event can erase the heart- bin Laden’s passing, we mark the demise of break and compassion we felt for our coun- a symbol of hatred, a man who saw persecutry. That day profoundly changed the way tion and dehumanization as the only means our generation to advance his ideolwould live and ogy. how we would But the war is not view, not only over. Though the man world events, but may be dead, his ideThis is a symbolic step each other. ology of ignorance Let us make and radicalism lives forward for our nation, this clear: This on. After 10 years and one that maybe lead should not be a and loss of much hu“hoo-rah” moman life, we must not us to be more optimistic. ment for our narelent. It is on our tion. Though he shoulders, those who lived a despicable watched in horror as life, bin Laden was still a human. When ex- the towers fell, to ensure that the power of plaining why his administration will not re- humanity is never persecuted. lease a picture of the dead body, Mr. Obama Let us take time to reflect on this mosaid, “This is somebody who was deserving mentous event in the history of our world. of the justice that he received … We don’t Though our jubilation should be tempered, need to spike the football.” This is the cor- we must give thanks to those who have rect precedent to set. made uncountable sacrifices.

While we can celebrate in the closure of May we mark this occasion to rejoice in the 9/11 attacks, we must celebrate without their success and the legacy of those lost being inflammatory. This is a symbolic step in the name of freedom, and may we honor forward for our nation, no doubt, and one those who continue to fight so our nation that may lead us to be more optimistic about can stand united in the face of evil, one naour future. It is a chance for us, who have tion under God, indivisible, with liberty and lived through multiple wars and a decline in justice for all.

“

”

Posted below are the results from our web poll on The University News’ website.

Students share how they will survive finals.

(31 votes total) How will you survive finals ?

Finals...what?

39% 35%

Camp out in the librar y

23%

Become antisocial

3%

Deactivate Facebook

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

I was appalled by the actions of B*llikens for Choice as they littered the campus with their Easter eggs. This immature act did not fulfill any part of their mission. Seeing Easter eggs reminds me of my childhood, of the joy and hope that comes with Easter. If I had been so unfortunate to open one of these eggs, I would have been disgusted.

Condoms do not promote the deepest meanings of sex. Sex is good and beautiful; the only act in which someone can fully give his or herself to another, physically and emotionally in an act and sign of love. Like all things truly good, sex is worth waiting for and should not be given frivolously.

Giving out condoms does not encourage conversations about sex. Instead it promotes the primal act.

If B*llikens for Choice wanted to educate the student body and get them talking about sex, they should have started conversations with students. People are willing to talk about sex; in fact, they do.

There are even University sponsored events to promote such conversations. For example, Campus Ministry sponsored an “open conversation” about sex. Also S.H.A.P.E. has the annual Sex in the Dark panel at which students can ask anonymous questions, answered by professionals. These programs are open to all viewpoints and facilitate healthy discussion.

Overall, I think the Easter eggs were highly disrespectful. SLU students should have the decency to be open with their viewpoints. This act was passiveaggressive and immature. Condoms in Easter eggs propagate that sex is “just for fun,” which is highly degrading to the human person, removing the emotional value.

In addition, a condom gives no information, is not fully effective against preventing pregnancy, is even less effective in preventing STIs and provides no protection against emotional damage. So I ask B*llikens for Choice, how does surprising someone with a condom inside their Easter egg provide the ability to make good, informed choices and understand the consequences that will follow?

- Claire McKeone is a senior in the Doisy College of Health and Sciences.

Quotes of the week

“ “

It irritates me that I have to buy these books that you may use only once.

- Joe Denk is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

” ”

See Page 1.

No, I don’t think time travel is possible. But if I were to think it was possible, it would not be time travel like in the movies.

- Jonathan Jacobs is a philosophy professor.

“ “

See Page 2.

Had they seen the same play?

Were they in the same theatre as I was?

- Noah Berman is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

” ”

See Page 7.

I wish I could quit, but no one wants to quit by themselves, and it is so easy to go outside and light up.

- Andrew Gelstein is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

See Page 1.

Opinion

unewsonline.com

5

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Reconciliation, not retaliation, is the true American response It’s weird to think that Osama bin Laden no longer exists. He’s been this quasi-mythical figure of looming evil throughout Commentary almost half of my life, the “icon” of international terrorism. He was responsible for a great deal of death and misery, both directly and other wise, and he was a Noah Berman major player on the world stage.

Not in the same level that a head of state is, but he was the sort of person whose actions or inactions always sent those clichéd ripples throughout the international community.

Now, he’s dead. That’s positively bizarre. What was even more bizarre was the level of celebration that erupted after the news broke – CNN kept showing people chanting and singing in front of The White House; Times Square was apparently party-city.

And I’d be willing to agree that maybe, what’s underneath the “USA! USA! USA!” talk is a sort of relief at having something the nation can all get together and be happy about. We live in contentious times.

Most of us struggled to understand 9/11 back when we were in elementary school, and so we assigned a status of “real-worldSauron” to ObL. But that’s no excuse to celebrate the death of a fellow human being.

I’m a pacifist. I don’t believe in killing people. I reject the idea that it’s ever a necessity. There are reasons, people, reasons, that these kind of horrible things are allowed to happen. Hitler doesn’t become Hitler without the economic scuppering of Germany; terrorists don’t become terrorists if they’re not locked into desperate poverty; people don’t break into your dorm and steal your XBox because trickledown economics is just working so well.

That’s a simplification, but it all comes down to the things people

believing in something with all you have because you think it is the best in the world when, in reality, it is just good. Not great or the best, just good. And the disappointment sets in.

To all the contributors who donated to Mortenson’s charity, Central Asia Institute: Your intentions were good. Even though the majority of that money went towards Mortenson’s book tours instead of building schools, and all revenue from the book tour went directly into Mortenson’s shockingly deep pockets, the thought is what counts, right?

Those contributors may be angr y and upset that their donations have been misused but, at the root of it, is an utter, irrevocable disappointment that can only be traced back to the conceivably fame-hungr y Mortenson. And disappointment almost has the potential to be worse than anger as Mortenson is likely already realizing.

Those who directly funded the CAI are not the only ones feeling the backlash of the lies. “Three Cups of Tea,” which has been featured as a New York Times Bestseller, has a heavy readership, as well, the bulk of which has already echoed the disappointment of hearing that the book that inspired, motivated and spoke to many is based on false, yet admittedly creative details.

To play Devil’s Advocate, I do feel a little bit sorr y for Mortenson.

Granted, this “little bit” is insanely miniscule, but it does exist.

Mor tenson was scheduled for heart surger y the week that he was exposed for his lies. The man is obviously not in the greatest health, and, while this is not an excuse for the deception, the critic must be conscious of his circumstances.

Also, Mortenson did do some good with the money he raised. It was not of the scale described but any good act is a worthwhile act, right?

We are not angr y. Well, maybe a little angr y, but mostly just disappointed. Sometimes, that disappointment can be worse.

Let me tell you a story about my friends, Jack and Diane. It’s just a little ditty, really, about these two American kids growing up in Commentary the heartland. In his iconic song, John Cougar Mellencamp spends four and a half minutes sensationalizing my greatest fear: The inevitability of an averMelanie Moriarty age existence.

According to Mr. Mellencamp, whether or not Jack and Diane know it, pretty soon they are going to realize that life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.

I’ve always been the type of girl who leaps before she looks.

Sometimes this doesn’t end well— like the time I jumped off a rope swing. But sometimes it does—like the time a few friends and I decided on a Friday morning to go to Memphis for the night and wound up in New Orleans for the weekend.

Like prisoners on the run, we burst out of St. Louis at 95 miles an hour, armed with a full tank of gas and a few 80s-rock playlists.

Four hours later, as we neared the Tennessee skyline, it dawned on us: We weren’t ready to stop driving.

And that’s how I wound up on Bourbon instead of Beale, chatting with a stranger, a 28-year-old college graduate who happened to be from St. Louis. This charming gentleman, instead of trying to impress me with his muscles or his wit (it would have been so easy), decided to bestow some unwelcome advice: “Never graduate college. Once you do, life is over.”

Rather than pushing my new friend off the balcony, I stepped back to consider his words. Part of me thinks he might be right.

Whether or not I like admitting it, soon I will be a full-fledged adult.

I’ll wake up before the sun without complaining and put on a pot of coffee (maybe I’ll like it by then).

I’ll putz around in rush-hour traffic.

Spend 40 hours a week at work.

Attend parent-teacher conferences.

Pay taxes. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Repeat. Repeat.

My life is a lot of things right now, but it’s not boring. So when the balcony boy finally got around to asking why I traveled to New Orleans, his reaction was similar to everyone else’s: “Wait…you spent three days driving just so you could spend one night here?”

Yes, I did. And I would do it again without thinking. Something tells me I’m not done wandering.

It doesn’t scare me that I’m able to leave without notice or purpose.

What does concern me is that once I start going, I never want to stop.

We arrived back in St. Louis on a Sunday night, a few souvenir glasses and an unwelcome slip of paper from the Mississippi Police Department as the only evidence of our trip.

As we approached the Vandeventer exit, I accelerated a little bit. Why go home when California’s just over 1,000 miles away? Why not the West Coast? And why not now?

Letting go is an awkward process, and I’m pretty sure I’m not doing it right. Instead of making a graceful exit from Saint Louis University, I’m indulging in my every whim.

Call me crazy, but I haven’t gotten arrested…yet.

As for Jack and Diane, I never did find out what happened to them.

My guess is that they wound up getting married and eventually settled down. Jack always wanted to skip town, but Diane told him it wasn’t worth it: “Baby, you ain’t missing anything.”

Diane, something tells me that you need to get out more. Maybe all of you do. Before you get too comfortable, try something: Get in your car, hop on the highway and drive until you can’t see straight.

Karaoke in a bar where no one knows your name. Fight and flirt with a stranger. Run into the ocean.

Do something that reminds you that you’re not dead yet. And if you ever get down, turn on your radio.

Sure they’re cheesy, but there’s something about an 80s-rock ballad that makes me think everything will work out just fine.

I think I was born to run. Pretty soon, it will be the end of the world as we know it, every day just another manic Monday. Still, I spend a lot of time wishing I could be forever young, living on a prayer and inside the beat of a one-hit-wonder. And even though I’ve had the time of my life free-falling out into nothing, I won’t stop believing. Someone tell Jack and Diane that they better do the same.

Last I heard, those two were still bumming around outside the Tastee Freez; Diane’s sitting on Jack’s lap, he’s got his hands between her knees. He’s a football star, she’s a wistful debutante, and they’ve been sucking on those chili dogs for over 29 years, waiting for something exciting to happen. Just like the rest of us.

Stephanie Mueller is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Melanie Moriarty is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Courtesy of Pete Souza / The White House

will do when they’re in terrible situations. I can’t claim to be an expert, but if (a) the news and (b) fiction have taught me anything, the downtrodden are the most likely to do horrible things.

Not because they themselves are horrible, but because when you see no way out, Mr. bin Laden and his promise of money for your family seems like an awfully good idea. It should be noted that bin Laden was not at all poor—he was extremely wealthy and used his riches to take advantage of others. Power is just as dangerous as poverty.

I don’t feel joy over bin Laden’s death. I recognize it as a historically and perhaps politically important event, but I refuse to join in with the people shouting “USA! USA! USA!” and running down Laclede.

There’s a passage from George Or well’s “1984” that deals with what’s going on here, and the following is a quote from within that passage: “In a lucid moment Winston found that he was shouting with the others and kicking his heel violently against the rung of his chair.

The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was

obliged to act a part, but, on the contrary, that it was impossible to avoid joining in.”

Impossible to avoid joining in.

It feels “good,” doesn’t it, to celebrate the death of a fallen foe?

To know that someone responsible for so much misery is gone from the world? I think that’s a misunderstanding of feeling good—we might feel a sense of relief, or of national pride, or of simple joyous blood-lust, but not good.

I wouldn’t imagine that the people who were shouting “USA! USA! USA!” feel the same way doing that as they do when they see a beautiful sunrise or listen to their favorite song. I know I didn’t when I heard the news. But it’s hard to avoid joining in; we want to feel united in triumph, in success, and that’s why the Two Minutes Hate is so dangerous.

It is dangerous because, like any display of misguided nationalism, it ignores the real issues involved.

We’ve taken out Osama bin Laden, but we haven’t won the “war on terror.”

We’ve removed a terrorist, a major terrorist, but unlike with the demise of Sauron, the prover-

bial orcs have yet to disappear.

Terrorists—the people who actually commit the horrific acts of bloody murder—do so usually because they’ve been given an incorrect set of ideas about the ways of the world.

They’re susceptible to these views most often because of their personal or familial situation, and that’s the issue we need to shoot in the face. They cheer in the streets after a terrorist strike because they’re wrong about good and evil, just as those of us who celebrated ObL’s death have similar misconceptions.

I’ll run cheering through the streets when we use our resources, financial and otherwise, to work towards elevating the condition of our fellow human beings both at home and abroad.

Let’s embrace this sense of national unity and use it to push for peace, for an end to poverty, for better education; let’s prove that we’re really, as some guy shouted outside my apartment—“America the Great!”

Noah Berman is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Oprah spotlight and America stereotypes cloud Australian visit A cultural experience.

To find a different aspect of life. To get out of the Midwest “Snowpocalypse.”

Commentary To cross “Go to Australia” off my bucket list.

These are all reasons that I decided to visit and study abroad in Australia this semester, but contrar y to Wilson Fulk Australian belief, I did not travel here because of Oprah.

“Are you here with Oprah?” “Oh, but you have met her before right?”

“Then why are you here?”

These exact questions came out of multiple Australian mouths. As I travel to the various cities of Australia, soaking up all of the amazing sights, more and more people tell me I am “such an American.”

F r o m the clothes I wear to my horrendous accent, b o t h American and faux Australia – which comes off British m o s t times – the Aussies spot my nationality miles away.

On Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure, Oprah and her lucky studio audience were flown to Australia to embark on the ultimate experience.

They visited all seven states and got to do what every visitor wishes they could do with their time in Australia. Granted, if I had Oprah’s budget I am sure I would be doing the exact same.

Unfortunately, my budget is nothing like hers, so I am attempting to do the most with what I have.

My adventures up until this point have been a weekend at surf camp, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, white water rafting in the Tully River and Mardi Gras weekend in Sydney.

All of which included lots of sightseeing, a boat cruise on Sydney Harbor at night, the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival and visits to Australia’s most famous beaches.

“

Beaches which were also home to “The Amazing Race’s” 18th season premiere.

What lies ahead on my itinerary is a trip to New Zealand, where my fellow Billiken mates and I will be traveling the country in an RV. We will be doing various activities along the way, including a glowworm cave tour, a glacier walk and bungee jumping.

Shh…don’t tell my mom! After finals, I will return to Sydney to celebrate Easter with Emily Sieb, and then head to Western Australia with my aunt to visit friends in Perth.

But for me, coming to Australia was and is so much more than trips to the beach and adventures around the country.

It was to prove to myself and my family that I am capable of going out into the world on my own.

I was able to break away from my stereotypical, American college student way of life and actually see firsthand what the world is like with my own two eyes.

It is an absolutely beautiful place that my words cannot do justice.

Though I missed Oprah and her adventures while D o w n Under by only a few weeks, the billboards were up for a month afterwards.

My flight attendant showed me the article on Oprah in my in-flight magazine as I arrived in the country.

I am glad I was not here with her.

Do I wish she was paying for my trip? Yes. But, I can only imagine the uproar people would have if they thought I was the American separated from my Oprah travel crew.

The way Australians have now based their travel bureau on Oprah’s visit is slightly sickening to those who want to travel here for their own personal reasons.

Luckily, I am able to say that I am here for myself, by myself, and cannot wait until I can start planning my return trip back to the country that has stolen my heart.

From the clothes I wear to my horrendous accent - the Aussies spot my nationality miles away.

”

Wilson Fulk is a sophomore in the School of Nursing.

Starla Salazar / Illustrator

‘Three Cups of Tea’ belongs in fiction On April 17, CBS’s 60 Minutes broke a stor y that shook the public’s trust in a literar y stor y of hope and its Commentary awe-inspiring hero.

Greg Mortenson, social activist and author of “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time,” was Stephanie mueller revealed to have exaggerated and fabricated some of the details and accounts within his best-selling memoir.

Within the novel, Mortenson recounts the warm welcome that he received from a Pakistani village after failing to finish his climb of the mountain K2 and becoming disoriented. After being nursed back to health by the people of the village, he vowed to return and build them a school as repayment, which he eventually did, according to the book. He also writes of getting kidnapped by the Taliban and subsequently building more than 100 schools like those he made in Pakistan after raising thousands of dollars for the cause. You can find the remarkable stor y in the nonfiction section of your local bookstore. Or the almost-non-fiction section, if you can find that.

Jon Krakauer, an author who wrote the exposé about Mortenson, said that classifying the memoir as non-fiction would be a mistake.

Krakauer claimed that many of the details of the memoir are not quite real, including Mortenson arriving in the Pakistani village and being kidnapped by the Taliban. He also revealed that a significant portion of the money that Mortenson raised in order to build more schools went directly to funding Mortenson’s speaking tour instead.

There really is nothing more to feel about the supposed hero and his stor y than disappointment. He still deser ves respect for some of what he has done but, perhaps, not the same level of respect that he had previously received.

It is similar to the feeling of

Dear friends, shut up and listen

Games

The University News Advertise with us ads.unews@gmail.com (314)-977-2813

Thursday, May 5, 2011

unewsonline.com

Comics/Student Art

Last Week’s Solutions:

By Noah Berman

Sudoku

Figger It

Crossword

Word Search

The University News

Arts

Talk to us: Ashley Jones 314.977.2812 arts.unews@gmail.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

unewsonline.com

OUT

Musical follows success of ‘60s rock band

TOWN

‘Jersey Boys’ to take stage at Fox Theatre during third national tour

on the

Arts Editor’s Picks

By SHELBY ROZIER Staff Writer

MUSIC Thursday, May 5 9 p.m.

Bare Naked Statues The Great Grizzly Bear $3 cover charge Friday, May 6 3 p.m.

Student Music Recital Saint Francis Xavier College Church Admission is free 7:30 p.m.

Guitar Ensemble Concert Saint Francis Xavier College Church Admission is free Sunday, May 8 6:30 p.m.

Spring Choral Concert Saint Francis Xavier College Church Admission is free Monday, May 9 7:30 p.m.

Wind Ensemble Concert Xavier Hall Theatre Admission is free Tuesday, May 10 7:30 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble Concert Xavier Hall Theatre Admission is free

THEATER Friday, May 6 8 p.m.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone Xavier Hall Theatre Tickets are $10 for general admission, $9 for seniors, staff and faculty and $7 for students Saturday, May 7 8 p.m.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone Xavier Hall Theatre Tickets are $10 for general admission, $9 for seniors, staff and faculty and $7 for students Sunday, May 8 2 and 6:30 p.m.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone Xavier Hall Theatre Tickets are $10 for general admission, $9 for seniors, staff and faculty and $7 for students

Sunday, May 8

OTHER

7 p.m.

13th Annual Black Student Alliance Fashion show: Seven Busch Student Center Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door

Photo Courtesy of Joan Marcus

Joseph Leo Bwarie (left) and Quinn VanAntwerp (right) play in “Jersey Boys,” which will be showing at the Fox Theatre May 11-29. The musical follows the success of popular ‘60s rock group The Four Seasons.

From Wednesday, May 11 to Sunday, May 29, the Fabulous Fox Theatre will open its doors yet again to the Tony, Grammy and Oliver Award-winning Broadway musical “Jersey Boys.”

“Jersey Boys” is a documentary style musical that follows the success of one of the most popular Rockn-Roll groups of the ‘60s, The Four Seasons. “Jersey Boys” opened on Broadway in 2006 and has since received four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and one Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

This time around, there are more than 50 people working with the traveling company, 19 of which are the actors. Swing and ensemble cast member Candi Boyd said, “Being a part of this show is amazing. I remember when I got the call saying I made the show; I was

waiting tables. I was literally at my restaurant, with a tray in my hand. It was fantastic!”

This year’s tour currently marks the third national tour.

When “Jersey Boys” hit St. Louis for the first time, the show celebrated the Tour’s highest grossing week to date.

“The feedback we get is amazing. We never have a house that is not almost completely full. We get this overwhelming enthusiasm from everyone who sees the show. I love it!” Boyd said.

“I feel so lucky, so lucky everyday to be a part of this cast.”

When casting the show, the producers and director traveled to 11 different cities including New York, Los Angeles, London and Dublin.

Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio, two original Four Seasons See “Jersey Boys” on Page 8

Play is exaggerated comedy Actors give larger-than-life performance in ‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’ There’s a scene in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” in which Alvy Singer (Allen’s character) pulls a pretenPlay Review tious filmgoer out of line and introduces him to the director he’d been critiquing.

The director – in Noah Berman one of the best cinematic moments of all time-- rips the critic to shreds.

I had a similar experience when I went to see the Saint Louis University Theatre’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone.”

During intermission, I was treated to the commentary of the people in the seats behind me, who went on at length about how the play was not as good as the previous time they had seen it and how the director had made a not-verygood-choice in giving the play an exaggerated, extra-comic feel.

Much like Alvy Singer, I could not quite believe what I was hearing. Had they seen the same play? Were they in the same theatre as I was? Because there is nothing about “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” that is not exaggerated or extracomic.

This is the theatre, not daily life. People are supposed to be larger than life - if they are ridiculous, it is turned up to 11. The same thing applies if they are calm, worried, nervous, angry, jealous—whatever.

We are not watching our good friends march across the stage, we are watching a story play out in front of our eyes - in the case of “Dead Man’s,” we are watching a surreal situation become increasingly more absurd.

As much as I hate it when critics say this, it is a terrifically fun ride.

From Alexandra Woodruff’s portrayal of the alwaysslightly-on-edge Jean to the hysterics of Julia Crump’s Mrs. Gottlieb, all the way to the sardonic narcissism of Mark Holzum’s Gordon (the dead man - to say any more would be spoilers), we watch endless loose-ends play out and (maybe) come to a close.

In the process, we are treated to some wonderfully dark comedy – which I will not reproduce here for fear of spoiling the jokes – but these actors prove to have impeccable timing and delivery, making what should be a tragedy deliriously funny.

It is all part of the exaggerated, extra-comic feel my neighbors so disliked: Take a morbid if not extraordinary situation and up the tension,

Noah Berman / Photo Editor

Alexandra Woodruff (left) and Mark Holzum (right) star in the University Theatre’s lastest production of “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” written by Sarah Ruhl. The play will be showing May 6-8 in the Xavier Hall Theatre. the surprises, even the romance until the audience is rolling in the aisles.

Of special note, too, is the set design: Director Tom Martin references Edward Hopper paintings as an inspiration in the program, and this visual cue is much in evidence on stage.

Set designer Mark Wilson has constructed a scene drenched in the dark greens, reds and window light sources so beloved of Hopper, serving to keep the play grounded, even as events spiral into near-lunacy.

Video projection and screens are put to good use to

build the sense of separation, which looms over the production. There is an excellent use of paper near the end of the first act, which I will not spoil, but get ready to enjoy.

There are a few problems here and there, of course; no production can be perfect, but I feel as though most stem from the fact that the show is not particularly forgiving of gradual character change.

People continue further and further on their own dark paths until something shocks them in a different direction.

Perhaps that is a commentary on the greater nature of human

kind – I do not know – but in the play, it started to make some scenes seem to be a continuous rewash of previous jokes. That sounds a good deal meaner than it really is; I guess I just look for more scene-to-scene-behavior changes than this production seems to have allowed.

That said, I loved this production of “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” and I urge you to go see it immediately— seriously. What are you doing reading this article when you should be buying your tickets? Just remember, as the house lights dim: Turn off your cell phone.

Seven Deadly Sins personified in BSA fashion show

By ASHLEY JONES Arts Editor

Omari Holt would describe Saint Louis University’s Black Student Alliance annual fashion show as community service done in a fun way.

BSA will host its 13th annual charity fashion show on Sunday, May 8, in the Busch Student Center.

The theme of this year’s show, entitled “Seven,” is the seven deadly sins: Wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy, lust and pride.

Holt said that in the four years he has been involved with the fashion show, it has gotten bigger and better every year and that it has also gained more participants.

The proceeds from this year’s student-run event will go to Keep a Child Alive, which is an organization that provides treatment and support to those affected by HIV and/or AIDS. It aims to improve the quality of life for these victims, especially those living in Africa and India.

Executive-board member Kendra King said that KCA helped BSA come up with the funds for this year’s fashion show.

“We wanted to help out another organization on campus,” King said.

KCA currently runs 10 patient-care clinics worldwide and is sponsored by more than 70 organizations, such as Dillard’s and The Walt Disney Company.

In addition, celebrities including Alicia Keys, Kim Kardashian and Jay Sean have endorsed the organization. Holt described it as a just cause.

In the past, proceeds from the show have gone to benefit organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Last year’s show raised about $1,500.

The executive board for the show consists of seven current SLU students. Holt’s and King’s last names are part of this year’s executive board.

One of the duties of these seven students is to conduct rehearsals with models.

These models include male and female students from local campuses, including SLU, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

In the past, BSA has aimed to display the work of local designers in the fashion show.

The idea of using local designers began last year, and Holt said that they have carried this idea over to this year’s show.

The show will include work from local designers such as Eyekon Klothing, Maison Parvenu and Kid & Clay.

“Because we are in St. Louis, we wanted to showcase what we have here in our hometown,” King said.

According to King, when deciding on the clothing that would be used in the show, the executive board “came up with the stereotypical things that might be associated with each sin.”

They tried to picture what the sin might physically look like.

For example, when looking for outfits to match the sin of greed, she said that they looked for clothing that was gold, flashy and had animal print and shiny material.

“The theme directly comes through in the clothing,” Holt said.

Holt also said that these themes do not just come through in the clothing, but they also come through in the attitudes of the models.

For example, for the sin of sloth, the models were directed to act nonchalant and laid back and to give off an apathetic vibe.

He said that they came up with a rubric of attitudes that each sin might exhibit.

King said that this year’s show will better showcase the facial expressions and motions of the models.

Tickets for the show can be purchased in advance for $7 at the Cross Cultural Center in the Busch Student Center or for $10 at the door. The show will begin at 7 p.m. on May 8.

Arts

8

The University News

unewsonline.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Summer movie season brings surprises

Exhibit blends styles of East and West

By RYAN BELMONTE Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Daniel Radcliffe (Left) and Ralph Fiennes (Right) play enemies Harry Potter and Lord Voldermort in the last installment of the Harry Potter series “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.” The film is set to open in theaters on July 15. This is just one of the anticipated boxoffice hits of the summer.

Commentary

T.J. Keeley

Not blockbusters, but worth the watch Summer movie season is fast approaching, and film-goers can expect several blockbusters to hit the boxoffices. These highly-anticipated films include “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” “The Green Lantern,” “Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “The Hangover 2.” However, there are many other movies set to open in theaters this summer that have been overshadowed by the blockbuster hype. Our movie reviewer weighs in on what movies he thinks film-goers should check out this summer.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Everything Must Go (May 13) I was delighted by the other “Will Ferrellbeing-serious” comedy “Stranger Than Fiction.” The Saturday Night Live alumnus tries out his dramatic chops again in this film adapted from the Raymond Carver short story “Why Don’t You Dance” about an alcoholic who holds a yard sale in an attempt to start over after losing his wife and his job. Carver usually translates well to screen.

Super 8 (June 10) This could be the biggest stinker on my list, but the trailer for this JJ Abrams/Steven Spielberg love child evokes the wonder and awe that characterized early Spielberg.

Strange happenings ensue in a small town in the summer of 1979 after a group of friends witness a mysterious train crash. This looks like “Cloverfield” meets Lost. Maybe those unsatisfied Lost fans will finally get some answers.

The Beaver (May 20) Jodie Foster directs Mel Gibson and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”) in this story about a man who finds a beaver hand puppet and adopts it as his means to communicate.

Sounds ridiculous, right? But the trailer looks like an intriguing take on depression with a blend of comedy and drama. I am curious to see if Foster and Gibson can pull off the high-concept premise.

Winnie the pooh (July 15) Speaking of nostalgia, wonder and childhood innocence, the trailer for this journey back to the Hundred Acre Wood about brought tears to my eyes. It looks like we get to hang out with some of our childhood friends such as Christopher Robins, Winne The Pooh, Piglet and Tigger for 80 minutes.

Oh, and Zooey Deschanel is involved…somehow.

Midnight in Paris (May 20) Woody Allen has put out one film per year for about the last 40 years, an incredible feat marked by such classics as “Annie Hall” and such stinkers as “Whatever Works.” Either way, Allen has a unique voice and is the godfather of modern American cinematic comedy. This effort unites Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Michael Sheen in the city of love.

Another EArth (July 20) I am not a sci-fi guy, really. So in this one, we find a duplicate planet in our solar system. Civilians are offered a chance to visit second Earth, and our protagonist becomes intrigued with this whole multiple-self thing. The trailer for the Sundance favorite looks way less concerned with the hard sci-fi aspects and more concerned with the prospect of second chances.

Boileau Hall exhibition allows student artists to showcase, sell artwork

Melancholia (May) Lars Von Trier has called himself the best director alive today.

While I do not agree with that, he might be the most provocative, while still demanding to be taken seriously. He has assembled Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt for a sci-fi thriller about two sisters who fight while another planet nears colliding with Earth.

Friends with Benefits (July 20) No, we did not see this one already. Instead of Ashton Kutcher, we get Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg and Richard Jenkins. This midsummer sex comedy looks refreshingly smart and funny.

Let us hope it does not get to bogged down in the Hollywood clichés that it is trying so hard to avoid.

The tree of Life (May 27) I cannot stress enough how much I am looking forward to this film. Director Terrence Malick is elusive, thorough and awe-inspiring. He emerges from hiding to contemplate some his favorite themes: Fathers and sons and the loss of innocence in Americana. Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain star in this drama spanning the dawn of time to the 1950s heartland.

Project Nim (July) You might have to track this film down on HBO, but the new documentary from the Oscar-winning director of “Man on Wire” sounds more than worth it. This documentary chronicles the life of chimpanzee Nim Chimpsky who was taken from his mother at birth to be raised like a human child. The project quickly became profoundly unsettling.

Jersey Boys: Musical includes several Billboard top-ten hits

Photo Courtesy of Joan Marcus

(Left to right) Steve Gouveia, Joseph Leo Bwarie, Quinn VanAntwerp and Matt Bailey play memebers of the ‘60s band The Four Seasons in “Jersey Boys.”

Continued from Page 7 (Shah) Yuqing Xia / Associate Photo Editor

The Student Art Exhibition held its opening reception on April 29. Above, a patron observes the student work on display in Boileau Hall. For many of the senior artists, this exhibition was the culmination of their curriculum.

Students had the opportunity to put their work up for sale. The gallery will be holding open viewing hours May 6 and May 7 from 12-4 p.m.

members, helped to decided who the final cast would be.

When asked how an actor makes a successful career, Boyd said, “You know, I get this question a lot, and I think the best answer that everyone in the business can give is to never assume that what you have learned is enough. You always have to keep working.

Some of the best dancers I know are still taking dancing lessons. People have to hone in on their weaknesses and grow from them.”

The musical has even made it big with screen actors and talk show hosts such as Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, Paul Shaffer and Rosie O’Donnell.

Oprah Winfrey was quoted saying, “Go see ‘Jersey Boys.’

It’s just the best show...

The biggest musical act on Broadway.”

The Four Seasons sold 175 million records worldwide— all before anyone in the group reached 30. The original members of the group include Frankie Valli, Bob Guadio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. There are over 33 songs in the show, including 11 that made the Billboard’s Top Ten and five No. 1 hits.

In 1990, The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Jersey Boys” opens Wednesday, May 11. For more information and ticket prices call 314.534.1678 or visit fabulousfox.com.

When walking into the new exhibit Blend of Styles at the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, the audience is immediately treated to the beautiful scenes of rural and industrial China.

For this collection of paintings, the artist Yingxue Zuo melded ancient techniques from his home in China with contemporary Western practices like using oil paint.

The loose and bold strokes in his work are reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy, yet the medium and strokes of painting resemble Western culture more. Zuo’s work shows instances of expressionism, while bonding the Eastern and Western styles together.

The exhibit is made up of 16 paintings that Zuo painted in different regions of China from 2005 through 2008.

The exhibit is arranged into different regions that Zuo visited and painted with varying sceneries.

One group of these paintings shows “JiangYuan,” which is a remote village area in North East China. The other groups of paintings show the “Guizhou” province, which Zuo calls a minority village, and “TongHua,” which is the mountainous and industrial area in North East China.

Zuo went to China every summer for the past few years and drove to these areas to paint en plein air for weeks at a time. He enjoys painting outdoors and prefers painting the more provincial areas instead of urban scenes.

“I don’t like painting modern cities. They’re too similar…Provinces are more interesting because of their more primitive and simple lifestyles,” Zuo said.

When looking at the images, the audience is able to experience what his feelings are at the time because he expressed it through the colors.

“The scenery gave me certain feelings, and I tried to express them through these paintings.”

He experimented with his colors, techniques, materials and subject matter in his works. The resulting piece is heavily influenced by impressionism with its expressive and playful paint strokes. Audience members experience a lot of movement and feeling in the way that the images are painted.

Zuo calls painting with oil paint his favorite medium, especially while painting different landscapes, but he also likes to create abstract works and printmaking.

From an early age, Zuo knew that he wanted to become an artist.

He recalls being 17 years old in China and not being interested in anything else besides art. He does caution other young artists that it is not an easy job.

“You must have motivation to do this. You must ask if truly you enjoy it or not. There are no shortcuts in developing and producing art, so if you don’t have the motivation, don’t do it.”

Zuo has lived in St. Louis since 1990. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and printmaking from Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Northeast Normal UniversityChangchun, Jilin Province in China.

He worked with graphic design at an advertising company for 8 years, while also teaching at Webster University.

He is presently the chairman of the art department at the St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, where he has taught for the last 12 years.

“I do not only teach, but I also learn from my students.

They are very creative and can sometimes spark some inspiration in me,” Zuo said.

He still travels to China when he can, where he sometimes conducts tours, workshops and of course paints.

The Blend of Styles exhibit opened on April 15 and remains up at SLUMA through Sunday, May 29.

The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday and by appointment on Tuesdays. Admission is free.

The University News

Sports

Talk to us: Brian Boyd 314.977.2812 sports.unews@gmail.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

unewsonline.com

Tra

2010-11 Review

Billiken Briefs Track

Field

and

The Billikens participated in a final tune up event before the Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Championships on May 1, competing in the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.

Junior Brittney Cloudy finished 10th in the triple jump with a distance of 40-5.5, and senior Maddie O’Quinn finished 10th in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:12.73 On the men’s side, Dahmar Smiles stood out for SLU, finishing 14th in the 110-meter hurdles. He also finished 20th in the 400-meter hurdles.

The Billikens will compete at the A-10 Championships on May 7 and 8 in Charlotte, N.C.

Senior Awards Track and field senior Justin Kwasa (Chicago, Ill.) and women’s tennis senior Hailee Elmore (Springfield, Ill.) were named SLU’s Outstanding Senior Athletes on May 3.

The awards are presented annually to student-athletes who excel academically, athletically and in the community.

Women’s swim team member Jessica Schwarz was given the Inspirational Award, which is given annually to a studentathlete who has persisted in the face of adversity throughout the year.

BILLIKEN SCOREBOARD

R

Baseball

W

1-0

vs. Fordham

L

4-0

vs. Fordham

W

5-1

vs. Fordham

W

vs. UMSL

11-2

Softball

W

7-0

@ George Washington

L

1-0

@ George Washington

L

5-1

W

3-2

@ SEMO

@ SEMO

Billikens: All the way from

A Z to

By BRIAN BOYD Sports Editor

and DERRICK NEUNER Associate Sports Editor

Alex Alemann

A

Courtesy of Billiken Media Relations

E

Courtesy of Billiken Media Relations

Hailee Elmore

G

is longer than Mike Tyson’s rap sheet: Twotime A-10 player of the year, three-time All A-10, three-time Academic AllConference, 2011 A-10 women’s tennis StudentAthlete of the Year, to name a few. Elmore finished her career as the all-time winningest player in school history.

oalkeeping

After a redshir t freshman season at California, Nick Shackelford stepped up for the men’s soccer team and had a standout season stopping shots, posting a 0.82 goals against average in split-duty with sophomore Mark Pais.

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

Cody Ellis

Pais, a St. Louis native, started 10 games for the Billikens, posting a 6-3-1 record in the net.

On the women’s side, sophomore Katie Walsh established herself in the A-10 by shutting opposing offenses down, holding them to a 0.70 GAA while being named second team All A-10.

K

first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament and a 9-73 record. For the men’s basketball team, the loss of sophomore Cody Ellis was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The team’s third-best scorer in 2009-10 went down on Saturday, Feb. 5, sending the Billikens on a four-game losing streak.

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

Porter Moser

and finished fifth in the weight throw at the event, becoming the first SLU field athlete to win a conference title.

Kwasa currently holds the school record in five different track and field events and was recently named as the top male SLU Student Athlete of the 2011 class.

H

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

Willie Reed

in their conference. The team had a chance to advance further but lost a close match to Kansas to end the regular season.

Over 20 students participate as part of the men’s team, which will travel to Denver, Colo., on Friday, May 6, to compete in the regional round of playoff competition.

omecoming plans for the future. Students parade in on decorated golf carts while past classes feast on food in Tegeler Field. This year, SLU took on Drake in a double-overtime thrillercoming away with the 1-0 victory. Nick Maglasang scored the only goal with just 57 seconds left in the second OT period.

ilted

This past year was not without its depar tures.

Volleyball head coach Anne Kordes left for her alma mater, Louisville, after seven years and a 146-75 record.

She guided the Billikens to three NCAA appearances and three regular season Atlantic 10 titles. Her 2008 squad

L

wasa, Justin

After shattering his own school records on a regular basis throughout the year, the senior men’s track and field performer captured an Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship. Kwasa took home gold in the weight throw

Yo u ’ v e seen them on campus tossing a disc, as they call it. They are the SLU Ultimate Frisbee team, formally known as Team Loki.

This year, they put together a 16-16 record, which made them sixth

J

then-reigning national champions on national television.

Ultimately, Duke was just too much.

Though the game was lost, those involved will never forget that the Billikens took on the No. 1 team in the nation.

risbee, Ultimate

It’s the annual SLU tradition of soccer, alumni and fireworks. Each year, Robert R. Hermann Stadium hosts the men’s soccer team and around 5,000 current students and alumni to revel in memories of past and make

njuries abound

As so often happens, injuries become the unexpected crux of a season. For the men’s soccer team, the losses of senior Jimmy Holmes and junior Mike Roach were insurmountable.

What should have been a highly successful first year for head coach Mike McGinty ended in the

D

some punishment as well, crushing Saint Joseph’s, Chicago State and Dayton by a combined 72 points later on in the year.

The women scored a big 27 point win against Southern Illinois but were throttled by No. 6 Xavier in February, among other big losses.

ancing at Duke

T h e Duke Blue Devils are 48-2 at home over the last three years. The Billikens had no chance.

Yet there they were, the scrappy Bills going head-to-head with the

F

lmore, Hailee

The most decorated player in SLU’s women’s tennis program history, Elmore helped propel the program to its best finish ever in the Atlantic10 Championships while piling up award after award. Elmore’s list of accomplishments

I

of an NCAA Zone Diving Meet.

A two-time All-American in high school, Carmichael reached the finals in the 3-meter diving event in March and narrowly missed the finals in the 1-meter board.

Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

lowouts

On the hardwood, the men found themselves as both victims and victors in lopsided contests.

A beat-down at the hands of then No.1 Duke early in the year was tough to stomach, but the Bills dished out

A-10 Freshman of the Year and a member of the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team. This year, the right-hander has posted a 2.48 ERA, sixth best in the conference.

Not bad for a kid who did not even make his high school freshman baseball team.

armichael, Chad

The j unior has been the star of the Billiken men’s swimming and diving team, becoming the first diver in school history to advance out of the preliminary rounds

Benny Estes

B

lemann, Alex

Lightly recr uited out of high school, the ace of the Billikens pitching staff has blossomed into one of the best pitchers in the Atlantic 10. A stellar freshman season earned the Florida native some seriously high praise: In 2010, he was named the

C

What a year it has been for Saint Louis University athletics. Ranging from the uplifting to the controversial, we have seen a little bit of everything.

There have been many names, games and phrases associated with the Billikens, spanning the entire length of the alphabet.

went undefeated in A-10 play. Also leaving SLU was men’s basketball associate head coach Porter Moser, who took the head coaching position at Loyola-Chicago.

Under head coach Rick Majerus, Moser was the chief recruiter and in charge of scheduling for the Billikens. He also coached SLU in Majerus’ absence.

ost season

The 201011 season will always be remembered as the lost season of the Rick Majerus era. On Wednesday, Oct. 13, SLU announced that it had removed Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed, the top two players for the Billikens, from the team

and University. SLU finished 12-19 overall, losing five games within five points.

Widely regarded as the year that SLU would challenge for the A-10 Conference crown, fans and Majerus, were left wondering, again, if next year will finally be the year.

Sports

10

M

Thursday, May 5, 2011

yers, Jon

The heart of the Billikens’ lineup, Myers has emerged as a legitimate slugger the past two seasons.

Even with the departure of superstar Danny Brock, Myers has continued to produce at a high level. This year, the senior leads the team in

O

Q

power to hang with the University of Louisville Cardinals, however, ending their season in the regionals.

Other notable SLU qualifiers include freshman runner Margo Richardson qualified for the USA Junior Track and Field Championships.

Finally, three swimmers qualified for the NCAA Zone Meet.

Courtesy of Billiken Media Relations

The men’s soccer team went to overtime five times this season, including their Homecoming game against Drake.

U

W

Formerly known as the Blue Crew, the SLUnatics have been a presence at Billiken sporting events throughout the year.

oods, Lauren

After a breakout junior season in 2009-10 in which she led the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, Woods was named the Atlantic 10’s most improved player for the season.

In her final year as a Billiken, things did not go exactly as planned— not only was her team

struggling, but her numbers were on the decline as well.

Woods once again led the team in scoring, but only posted 9.9 PPG and had a 0.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Regardless, Woods has been an impact player throughout her SLU career and emerged as a senior leader for the program.

Shah (Yuqing Xia) / Associate Photo

Women’s head basketball coach Shimmy Gray-Miller has led the Billikens for six seasons.

named to the A-10 AllRookie team after collecting five double-doubles; Mike McCall led SLU with 323 points; Rob Loe collected 106 rebounds; and Jordair Jett led the team with 44 steals.

Their collective efforts often kept the Billikens competitive in close games while gaining experience along the way.

Shah (Yuqing Xia) / Associate Photo

Freshman guard Mike McCall had a strong year for head coach Rick Majerus, averaging a team-high 10.4 PPG.

years old, Ream has a legitimate chance at being named to the U.S. World Cup team.

As a Billiken, Ream was named the 2009 Atlantic 10 conference defensive player of the year and was tabbed as a third team All-American. With the Red Bulls, he was a rookie of the year finalist and the lynchpin of their defense.

ying history

V

X

Connoyer. She came to SLU this spring after spending five seasons as associate head coach at Southern Illinos, where she compiled a 59-53 record.

This spring, the Billikens put together an impressive 29-24 record, nearly matching their 30-win season from last year.

ictories 100 victory club in SLU history.

Hendrickson picked up his 600th total career victory on April 29 against Fordham.

Hendrickson has his team playing solid ball as of late, winning three of their last four. The team currently sits at 25-19 overall and ninth place in the A-10 with a 6-9 league record.

avier

T h e nemesis of SLU athletics. Xavier is the Billikens’ “Darth Vader.”

Over the past year, SLU has faced the Musketeers eight times, going 2-6; the only wins were a women’s tennis 6-1 victory and a volleyball 3-1 victory.

Among the losses: Men’s basketball (twice),

Z

oungsters rising

A pleasant surprise from 2010-11 was the growth of the freshmen of the men’s basketball team.

The four freshmen were thrust onto the court to fill several voids and compete at a level beyond their maturation, but they performed well.

Dwayne Evans was

The former Billiken soccer star has had himself quite a year thus far on the international soccer scene.

Ream, a defender for the MLS’s New York Red Bulls, earned a spot on the U.S. National Team and has received rave reviews regarding his play.

Despite being only 23

O n e hundred of them, to be exact. Men’s baseball head coach Darin Hendrickson reached the century mark on March 20 with a win over Southern Illinois-Carbondale.

Hendrickson, in only his fourth year as head coach, became only the fourth member of the

7-22 campaign.The Billikens were plagued by defensive woes, allowing opponents to shoot 43.8 percent from the field.

Coupled with an offense that ranked near the bottom of the conference in nearly all of the major statistical categories, the Billikens were unable to hang with the rest of the A-10.

year as leader of the Billikens, was expected to have already visited the NCAA tournament. But this year’s events were largely out of his control, and experts already are predicting SLU will be in the running for a trip to the dance next season.

With so much experience returning, it is a strong possibility.

eam, Tim

Softball seniors Kristin Nicoletti and Caitlin Trevillyan recorded 103 wins over their four year career at SLU, tying them with last year’s seniors as the winningest class in school history.

They led the Billikens, who were coached for the first year by Christy Ryan Giacomino / Photographer

This is perhaps the best way to describe the women’s basketball season.

Under sixth-year head coach Shimmy GrayMiller, the Billikens regressed rather than progressed this year, winning only one Atlantic 10 game in the midst of their disappointing

Rick Majerus said that the 2010-11 season was the toughest of his career, but also his finest coaching job.

SLU finished 12-19, the first time in Majerus’ 24-year career that his team finished below .500. It also put a damper on expectations for Majerus, who, in his fourth

T

student body approved a $30 tuition fee which will open the doors to all students (season tickets were previously $135 a season).

University officials and the Student Government Association hopes this will encourage even more fans to come to the arena and root their basketball teams to victory.

nderwhelming

P

where he won a national championship. His teams won the ACC title four times in 11 years.

On April 4, SLU announced Kent Miller as the new leader of Billiken volleyball.

He previously served as an assistant at Illinois and a head coach at Toldeo, where his teams registered 136 wins in 12 years.

atience

R

LUnatics

SLU fans got a new name in 2010 when the Blue Crew was rechristened the SLUnatics.

On average, hundreds of students packed Chaifetz to cheer on the Billikens.

In the coming year, SLUnatics will become even more dynamic; the

Y

Shah (Yuqing Xia) / Associate Photo Editor

Kent Miller was hired to replace Billiken volleyball legend Anne Kordes as head coach of the program.

ualified

O v e r the summer, the m e n ’ s baseball team earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006. They stormed through the Atlantic 10 tournament, dropping Charlotte in the finals. The Billikens did not have enough fire-

S

South Florida, 1-0 victory over Drake, and a 0-0 split with Missouri State), a loss against St. Bonaventure and a win against Missouri-Kansas City.

Some of the overtime contests came as a result of offensive woes: The Billikens were unable to get on the board in regulation six times during the season.

ewcomers

The Billikens also welcomed two new members to their family: Men’s soccer head coach Mike McGinty and volleyball head coach Kent Miller. McGinty was announced as the sixth men’s soccer coach on March 23. He joined SLU after serving as associate head coach at Virginia,

nearly every major offensive category. He has started all 43 games for SLU, posting a .326 batting average, one of the best in the conference.

Myers currently leads the Billikens in the following categories: Hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage.

Oh, and he is a perfect 7 for 7 on stolen bases.

vertime

T h e men’s soccer team seemed to have a problem closing out games in 2010.

Either that, or they enjoyed giving Billiken soccer fans heart attacks.

The team played into overtime five times, going 2-1-2. They include three trips to doubleovertime (0-0 split with

N

unewsonline.com

men’s tennis, women’s basketball and volleyball (twice).

Perhaps most frustrating - the Xavier men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA tournament while SLU watched from home.

Next year, however, the tides could turn, depending on whether or not star Tu Holloway leaves for the NBA.

ych, Jonathan

Meet the man who has engineered the tennis program’s emergence as a force in the Atlantic 10.

This year, he led his women’s team to their best finish in school history, placing second at the Atlantic 10 Championships. He had three players named to the All-

Conference team for the second straight season.

On the men’s side, he has shown an ability to recruit talent, as evidenced by production from firstyear players such as Nishaad Balachandran, Joe Flanagan and Patrick Kella.

Remember the name—his programs are on the rise.

unewsonline.com

Sports

11

Thursday, May 5, 2011

SELL your Spring books for MORE COOL SUMMER CASH!!

Commentary

Athletes appreciate motherly love It takes hard work, discipline, skill, unselfishness and the ability to multi-task for four years to be a Commentary studentathlete.

Basically, studentathletes have to be dedicated.

But they were not born with Jonathan Aupiing that dedication.

It comes through inspiration. It comes through support.

It comes through life lessons, and sometimes it comes through love.

A good mother provides all of those things. Apparently Saint Louis University athletes have had some pretty great mothers. Ask a SLU athlete about their mother, and you are pretty likely to receive some sort variation of the response, “Always there for me.”

Soccer forward Mike Roach claims, “Being a student-athlete, you have many

ups and downs throughout the years. My mom has always stayed positive no matter what.”

Our mothers mean a great deal to most of us. It is almost impossible for me to describe how much I love my mom or exactly why. But I think it comes down to that word “always.”

Student-athletes (and students for that matter) live with a lot of uncertainty and pressure. Failure is always a possibility. Perhaps these athletes find security in the unconditional love from their mothers.

Senior basketball forward Lauren Woods said, “I talk to her on a daily basis. She helps me see the bigger picture.”

When it is advice we need, we typically know the first person we call.

Woods said, “She didn’t really play sports herself, but she always emphasizes the life-lessons I can learn from sports. She says it can teach me about myself.”

Junior baseball player and Communication major Marco DiRoma relies on his mother to give him “a level

of strength and confidence to overcome adversity.” He also counts on her for general advice: “She always tells me to keep my grades up because education is just as important as baseball.”

The word “always” can be a very inspirational thing.

Roach said, “When you have a bad game, and it feels like the whole world is on your shoulders, and your mom calls to say she is proud of you no matter what; that is a very powerful thing and it keeps you going.”

Mother’s Day comes every May; no questions asked. You can count on it.

Something seems very fitting about that. That same dependability might be the biggest reason why we love our mothers.

This Sunday, May 8, if you are lucky enough to have a mother like these studentathletes thank her because you know you might strike out or lose the game. In fact, you might not make an A on every test or impress every potential employer.

Be thankful for that dependable person in your life.

BUY your textbooks for LESS! SELL them for MORE!

New! Rent your books from us!

Just go to:

textbookgame.bookrenterstore.com

3855 Lindell Blvd.

(At the corner of Lindell & Vandeventer) St. Louis, MO 63108

314-289-9393

www.textbookgame.com

www.nscs.org | Find us on Facebook.com/nscs94

Advertisements from Student Development

12

Thursday, May 5, 2011

unewsonline.com

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS Coming this fall...

U O Y E R A T WHA ?

R O F G N I T I WA Rental, digital, used, custom, new... we've got all your options covered.

Preorder summer & fall books NOW @ slu.bncollege.com   Congratulations to the Order of Omega Greek Awards Recipients! Awards were presented on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at the conclusion of Greek Week recognizing both chapters and individual students.

  Philanthropy Award

Merit Award

Zeta Tau Alpha and Tau Kappa Epsilon

Kappa Delta and Tau Kappa Epsilon

Community Service Award

Most Distinguished Chapter Award

Kappa Delta and Alpha Delta Gamma

Alpha Delta Pi and Sigma Phi Epsilon

 

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT HTTP://ACCREDITATION-HLC.SLU.EDU/

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

UNIVERSITY-WIDE DIALOGUE ON SLU’S SELF-STUDY FOR INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION THROUGH THE HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION

Most Inspirational New Member Kimi Graviln, Alpha Delta Pi Eric Levenhagen, Sigma Phi Epsilon Helping Hands Award Emily Stone, Alpha Delta Pi Outstanding Greek Community Involvement Mary Clare Becker, Alpha Delta Pi Mike Zitzer, Delta Sigma Phi Outstanding Chapter President Rachel Woods, Zeta Tau Alpha John Koenig, Tau Kappa Epsilon Unsung Hero Allison Mecca, Alpha Delta Pi Samuel Maguire, Sigma Alpha Epsilon

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

COMING THIS FALL

Outstanding Chapter Advisor Geri Macauley, Zeta Tau Alpha Chapter Luminary Award (Honoring one graduating senior from each chapter).

Annie Scardulla, Alpha Delta Pi Andy Murtha, Alpha Delta Gamma Andy Cassidy, Beta Theta Pi Keeley Farmar, Delta Gamma Elizabeth Schroeder, Gamma Phi Beta Katie Williams, Kappa Delta Patrick Leonard, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Katie Shay, Sigma Kappa Paul Paetow, Sigma Phi Epsilon Dom Derosa, Sigma Chi Katie Kuchar, Zeta Tau Alpha

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS

WE ARE ALL BILLIKENS